Education for the nation: WWII battle simulator

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Today Channel 4 launches a new educational game recreating a pivotal battle in the second world war.

The game, created by UK-based outfit Fish in a Bottle, consists of a squadron of 34 polish fighter planes which wreak havoc on the Luftwaffe.

This element of the war changed the course of history, and therefore is deemed a vital piece of education.

Battle for Britain allows the player to sit in and fly a Hurricane plane, to become part of the 303 Squadron.

Based upon the diary entries of real participants, the game’s missions explore victories and defeats as well as the eventual betrayal of the allies and its major effect on the war.

Combining archive, documentary footage, 3D rendering and animation, the player can experience the events in the life of an RAF pilot.

By the player being in control of their own plane and facing the enemy’s fleet, it allows them to feel the emotional fluctuations of being in the RAF.

During a multiplayer mode, the player will pilot one of four fighters in pre-scripted missions, either with random players or by inviting their friends. In the squadrons they can fly a variety of planes from the Spitfire to the Mustang.

By the end of the Battle of Britain, the 303 Squadron was the highest scoring RAF squadron. Due to this, Fish in a Bottle has made each mission finish with the totals to see which pilot has scored this most.

The educational game, has been described as ‘high-octane’ and is said to ‘challenge even the most battle hardy player’ as well as being a beneficial lesson about one of the most dangerous chapters of World War II.